Just before the league season kicks off, SpVg Schonnebeck had another highlight—and another dress rehearsal—in the form of a friendly against MSV Duisburg.

For SpVg Schonnebeck, the winter break finally comes to an end this coming weekend. Following the successful 3-1 dress rehearsal against TSG Sprockhövel on January 25, a high-caliber opponent followed. On Tuesday evening (January 27), the second-place team in the Oberliga Niederrhein faced off against MSV Duisburg and lost 0-5.

Yet the score told a different story than what actually happened on the field. Schonnebeck was incredibly solid defensively, especially in the first half, and made it difficult for the 3. Liga leaders to create chances. They succeeded brilliantly, as the first half was far from one-sided.

Coach Dirk Tönnies was therefore extremely satisfied: “The first 60 to 70 minutes were very good. We had a huge chance ourselves in the first half after a corner, where an MSV player cleared the ball almost on the line. We did very well there.”

In the second half, however, the “Schwalben” lost their structure a bit. “Then you concede an unlucky penalty to make it 0-1, but you continue to play well and bravely afterward. The last ten minutes are a bit disappointing because they don’t reflect what we achieved in the rest of the match. It’s by no means a setback, though. Most of the guys came straight off the bench, so it’s clear that their energy would eventually run out,” said the Schonnebeck coach, who has been on the Swallows’ bench since November 2008.

We have something to make up for from the first leg. We want to get off to a strong start and are hoping for a good crowd. Derbies are always something special, but we still have fond memories of the first leg

Dirk Tönnies

He added: “The important thing was that we developed that tenacity against the ball. We did that very well in the first 60 to 65 minutes. That’s the foundation for us to play a good second half of the season.”

Speaking of the second half of the season: Action continues in the Oberliga Niederrhein this weekend, February 1. With a six-point gap behind league leaders Ratingen, absolutely anything is possible for the second half of the 2025–2026 season.

At Schetters Busch, Spielvereinigung will host DJK Adler Union Frintrop. So right off the bat, it’s a derby. “We have something to make up for from the first leg. We want to get off to a successful start right away and are hoping for a good crowd. Derbies are always something special, but we still have fond memories of the first leg. The guys have had a good preseason and we’re looking forward to the game,” Tönnies summed up.